Not Alone
by maybe-ONE-day
Summary: There is a new tranfer student.  Who is she?  And why does Nao care? NaoOC Natshizduh
1. Intro

It was dark outside. Nao knew it was time to begin her nightly prowl again, but something kept her from leaving her dinky apartment. She felt . . . tired. Tired of luring men to their doom; tired of pretending to be a slut; tired of being (dare she say it?) alone. Despite the fact that she hated that Kuga brat with all her might, she kind of wished she had her own psychotic protector to love. Even Mikoto, childlike, flat-chested Mikoto had managed to snag Mai. How was it possible that she, #1 flirt of Fuuka Academy by mutual consensus, was still alone?

_Sigh, why am I even bothering thinking about this? Mama's safe, and I don't have to put up with anyone. _Mechanically, she dragged herself up and towards the front door. _Another night, another man hanging for his life._ Who knew? Maybe tomorrow would be a little better. She was starting high school tomorrow after all.


	2. Girl Meets Girl

Nao sighed. School was so overrated. Why was she even here? Because there was nothing else to do, that's why. Resisting the urge to bang her head against her desk, Nao glanced around the classroom with obvious disdain for her surroundings. She smirked, but her eyes softened, when her gaze landed on Mikoto. The girl was blatantly sleeping and a little bit of drool was beginning to pool onto her desk. Disgusting and yet somehow cute at the same time. And only Mikoto could get away with sleeping in class.

With sheer force of will, Nao turned her attention back to the subject of Japanese history and the professor loving Midori. Nao briefly wondered if that was working out for her and her professor.

"And in 1945, the Japanese sur . . ." Midori trailed off as the classroom door peeked open and inch.

Suddenly, everyone in the class was awake and perky as they openly stared at the stranger blushing in the doorway. Even Nao, despite internally commenting on how rude her classmates were, was staring at the newcomer.

Mikoto was the only one not paying attention: Dreams of Mai's ramen were much more entertaining.

A girl stood in the doorway. And a pretty one at that. She had long black hair that went halfway to her back and unusually bright blue eyes. She blushed and stared back at the class. Awkward silence ruled until the girl seemed to pull herself from, well, herself and bowed.

"Ano, my name is Aaeru Tottori. I am a new foreign exchange student from America," said the obviously nervous girl.

Midori finally remembered that she was the adult in charge and snapped out of her trance and smiled brightly at the girl. She just loved surprises. "Ooh, America, huh? We were just discussing WWII. Maybe you could comment from the American point of view?"

_Hmmm…She seems…different. Well, duh, Nao. She's from AMERICA! _Either way, she was determined not to care. As long as she was left alone. Alone… such a harsh word. Speaking of which, why was that girl walking _towards_ her? Shouldn't she, like everyone else, be walking away from her? Their eyes met as the girl walked down the aisle towards her. _Pretty eyes_ were Nao's only thought. Then the look was gone and the girl sat down in the desk next to Nao. _Oh, well that explains why she was walking towards me. Duh._

Class resumed, but not in the usual way as students, annoying students Nao thought, tried to sneak quick peeks at the exchange student. When the lunch bell finally rang, Nao bolted out of her seat as quick as lightning. She only dared to look back when she reached the door. Aaeru was already surrounded by nosy, little, fawning brats. Frowning, more like glaring really, Nao left the room berating her on why she cared that Aaeru already had a huge group of soon-to-be friends.

Aaeru stared at the spot that Nao had just occupied. Cocking her head to one side in a curious fashion, she glanced back, nervously, at the people surrounding/suffocating her. She needed to leave, fast.

"Excuse me, but I have to, um, go to my room," Aaeru announced jumping up and gathering her things. There was instant protesting and offers of buying her lunch, but she ignored them and continued out the door. Now, which way did that girl go?

Nao walked aimlessly around the academy, not really watching where she was going. What was with that girl anyway? Thus, she collided solidly with a very solid someone.

Glaring at the person that had now made her backside ache, she raised her eyes to the striking crimson eyes of everyone's favorite ex-kaichou. A glare instantly materialized on Nao's face while sheepish smile graced Shizuru's.

"Ara, arigatou, Yuuki-san, I was not watching where I was going," sounded a gratingly familiar Kyoto-ben accent.

Nao just glared in return. She still remembered the festival even if everyone else chose to forget. Nao shook her head and looked around. If Fujino was at the school she graduated three years ago then so was …

"Kuga," Nao breathed with poorly veiled hostility. Natsuki Kuga simply glared back.

"Apologize."

Nao looked back blankly, and Natsuki grinded her teeth together so hard Nao imagined it must hurt very much. Maybe that's why she ate so much of that disgusting mayo. Her teeth hurt so much from grinding together all the time that mayo soothed the ache.

"Apologize for hitting Shizuru," Natsuki demanded/threatened.

Nao remained silent and merely raised an eyebrow in challenge. She stood up and offered a reluctant hand to Shizuru. "I'm not apologizing. She said she hit me." Kuga snarled and lunged for Nao, but was stopped and pulled to the side by Fujino. Nao smirked. Kuga: the ever snarling watch dog and Fujino: the seemingly benign owner.

She continued watching as Shizuru quietly calmed down her watch dog. Nao felt her lip curl in disgust while her heart clenched in … jealousy? No, that wasn't it. She really didn't care for either of them. Maybe that whole alone thing really was getting to her. Did God really hate her so much that mindless, killing machines like Shizuru got their happy endings while she got nothing? _Baka, I'm just being stupid. I have everything I need._

Nao crossed her arms and walked over to the said couple. "You two both graduated, why do ya'll still keep coming back? Do ya'll really have no life?"

Kuga snarled and lunged again, but Shizuru once again held her back. _Ironic._

Shizuru only smiled that polite, disconcerting smile of hers. "We came to visit Mikoto since Mai had to work today. Would you like to come with us?" Nao and Natsuki just stared. Shizuru whispered to Natsuki, who was still struggling, "Nao's just bein' Nao." This caused Natsuki to stop, but she kept giving Nao the glare of death. Nao just smirked.

"Nope. I prefer my 'alone' time. Besides Mai's kitty might eat all my food." No one mentioned that Nao hadn't brought any food.

With that she turned around and walked the way she had come before she had unfortunately bumped into the sickenly sweet Fujino and Kuga.

She loathed those two with a passion. Almost more than the thugs that had taken her family and hurt her mama. She hated that they both had their precious person alive and well while hers was in a coma … still. If she could admit it to herself, which she couldn't, she would admit she was sick and tired of being alone and sick and tired of being sick and tired of being alone. Complex, huh? She did prize herself on being a complex individual. It didn't matter, though. Her mama would wake up and she wouldn't be alone.

Nao stopped and stared at the ground. Her hands clenched and unclenched involuntarily while tears threatened to leak out of her eyes. She was so … alone.

Aaeru turned around the corner and stopped suddenly. There was that girl. She looked so sad … and alone. She wanted to give the depressing girl a hug. So she did. She walked right up behind the mystery girl and unwittingly hugged the most antisocial girl of the school from behind.

Nao felt arms surround her and almost sighed. She felt warm and safe and … she froze and whirled around. A pair of the bluest eyes she had ever had the pleasure of seeing stared back. _Wow, I feel dizzy._

The girl smiled and Nao slowly emerged from her blue-eyed induced daze.

"You look kind of sad."

Nao instantly glared. _WTF!!! Who the hell did this beautiful girl think she was? Wait … back up. Beautiful?! WTF!!!_

Nao zeroed her eyes back into Aaeru's but this time resisted their pull. "Leave. Me. Alone."

Then she turned and strutted away. Aaeru Tottori's eyes followed her, and she smiled.

maybe-ONE-day - Sorry for the really short chapter before, but this is my first story and I really have no idea what I'm doing. I kind of just jotted stuff down before with no real outline, but I'm a bit more composed now. Hopefully this won't be too bad. Feel free to help me out, but please try not to, like, totally discourage me.


	3. Mother

Holy cow, it's been a while. Sorry, but senior year's been brutal. Who thought it would be this hard to pay for college? This idiot didn't. Anyway, sorry, I'll try harder from now on, I promise. Btw, I came out to my mom and she was really amazing about it. Sounds silly, but it's really made my life good. XD

Shizuru and Natsuki walked side by side after their, er, _chat_ with Nao.

"Oi, Shizuru, what do you think was up with Nao?" Natsuki asked.

Shizuru smiled. "Ara ara, how should I know what Yuuki-san thinks? Although, should I be jealous Natsuki is so concerned about her?"

Natsuki stiffened and blushed. Would she ever be rid of these damn blushes? She looked over at the not-so-obvious twinkle in her girlfriend's eyes and sighed. No, it looked like she wouldn't. But she did like the teasing, in a way. "It was just weird, that's all."

The seriousness in her tone seemed to finally alert Shizuru. "Ara, one would have to guess that Yuuki-san is lonely, perhaps. Her mother is not yet awake, either, and it has been years since the . . . incident."

Natsuki stayed silent, scowling at the ground. Hell, if Shizuru still didn't really talk about the Carnival and everything worked out for her in the end, more or less, how would Nao be holding up? Not well, that's for sure.

Obviously not liking a morose Natsuki, Shizuru grabbed her hand and pecked her cheek. "Mou, Shizuru we're in public!" Natsuki blushed/exclaimed, but a small smile appeared.

"Natsuki should not frown so much, she will get wrinkles," Shizuru said, matter of fact. "Besides, Yuuki-san is a strong person, she will be fine."

Natsuki nodded, but the frown reappeared.

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Aaeru peeked at Nao from her spot around the corner. Why was she so nervous? It didn't make any sense. She was a go-getter, confidant, brave, and . . . scared half to death. Still, she had to keep talking to this anti-social girl. Her very _existence_ depended on it. Aaeru frowned. _Okay, that might have been a little dramatic._ Squaring her shoulders she walked forward.

Nao heard footsteps, but since anyone would be crazy to approach her she ignored them, kind of.

"You sure did leave fast. Do you like to eat by yuorself that much?" Aaeru asked teasingly.

Nao glared up at Aaeru. Okay, this chick either had a severe listening disability, or she was crazy. Nao went with the latter. "Look, your new here so I'll make this simple. Leave."

To Nao frustration, and astonishment though she wouldn't admit it, the girl simply sat down on the bench next to Nao. "I would, you see, but that would require all together way too much energy. Don't you know Americans are lazy?" She flashed a, lazy, smile at Nao, and Nao was appalled to feel her lip twitch in amusement. "Besides," she continued, "I noticed you didn't have any lunch, so I brought my, what do you call it, bento?"

Nao smirked. "You really are an American. Yes, it's a bento, and who am I to pass up free food?" She snatched the bento and started eating. Aaeru just smiled as Nao promptly demolished three quarters of the food.

Fnished, Nao passed the lunch back over to Aaeru who commenced eating at a far more sedate pace. Nao eyed the girl then looked away. Why was she so weird_? Well, she is foreign, maybe that's how they are_. _And Americans do but in a lot._ Satisfied with her inner reasoning, she turned her attention back to Aaeru.

"Why do you keep staring? I'm beautiful, I know, but so are you. Stare at yourself," Aaeru said with a mouth full of noodles.

Nao blushed. _She thinks I'm beautiful?!_ She almost started smiling, almost. "I do stare at myself, but as there are no windows or mirrors around I had to settle."

Aaeru laughed, a clear, happy sound, and Nao found herself strangely captivated. Grimacing, she ripped her attention away from the American and stood up. "Listen, not that it hasn't been a blast, which it hasn't, I have to go seduce grown men, beat them up, and take their stuff. So, later." If that didn't scare the little girl off, she didn't know what would.

"Well, all right then, but be careful," Aaeru replied.

Nao blinked. Then muttered, "I know . . I mean . . . I, um, just shut it!" She stalked off, and refused to look back, even though something told her she really should.

Aaeru stared at the retreating back, then frowned when she was out of sight. Something had told her the other girl was really serious. She hoped she didn't get into any trouble.

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"Hello, mama. There was a new student today. She's . . . weird. How are you?"

Nao stared down at the comatose woman, waiting for an answer she was slowly realizing would probably never come. _Why me?_ She used to be happy once. She used to be loved once. She just wanted her mama back, was that really so much to ask for?

Apparantly so.

She had used to pray everynight to anyone out there to help her. When her relatives hit her and called her names, she endured it hoping it was a test proving herself to God for her mama's life. When they kicked her out, she thought it was the finally test of endurance and love. When she turned thirteen and she had to give her first and only blowjob for ten dollars, it hit her. There was no test, no God, and most of all, only her. There was only you and those that hurt you. From that day on she vowed to hurt men before ther hurt her. She was thirteen when she stopped praying.

"I-I'm running out of money to keep you here, Mama. I need y-you to wake up soon, okay? Please?" No reply. There was never a reply.

Nao's hands clenched and unclenched as tears trailed, unfeeling, down her cheeks. "You can't do this to me! You can't leave! You're a coward, leaving me all alone! I HATE YOU!"

Nothing.

Nao finally, collapsed, sobbing onto her mother until she fell asleep. The nurses, used to her, and kind of like a surrogate family to her, let her stay.

And Nao was thankful because at least curled up next to her mother she was warm and loved. The nightmares couldn't reach her here.


End file.
